The major objective of the current study is to assess the degree and nature of impact that alcohol exerts on marital-family relationships. Based upon preliminary data, it has been strongly suggested that consumption is positively related to marital satisfaction. Given limitations regarding the experimental procedure by which these data were obtained, there exists a clear need to assess the generalizability of these findings with a more rigorous and extensive set of procedures. In the proposed study, data from two samples (treated and untreated alcoholics) will be subjected to systematic analyses bearing on the consumption family stability relationship. In addition, a subgroup of subjects from the untreated sample will be involved in a 50 day, longitudinal assessment of the relationship between consumption, psychiatric symptoms and marital satisfaction. Given these data sets, it is anticipated resultant findings will have important implications regarding (1) theoretical models related to interactional influences in the maintenance of maladaptive behavior, and (2) treatment of alcoholism based upon family therapy approaches.